Tuesday, December 27, 2011

About Greener Living Soap Nuts:
Matt and Erin Johnson discovered Soap nuts when they were looking for a cloth diaper friendly laundry detergent. After Erin tried Soap Nuts she was very impressed with the results. She decided to buy an extra batch to sell with the cloth diapers she was making at the Fort St. John's' farmer's market. She very quickly sold that batch and Matt and Erin decided to move their business online. They then pitched their business to the Dragons on CBS's Dragons' Den.
Greener Living Soap Nuts are grown, seeded, and packaged in Napal.

About Soap Nuts:
If you Cloth Diaper, have sensitive skin, skin allergies, eczema, psoriasis, or try to use as little chemicals as possible Soap nuts is for you! This may be the only household cleaning product you will ever need!
Admittedly when I received my Greener Living Soap Nuts I knew nothing at all about them. At first I thought someone had mistakenly sent just the outside of the nuts. As it turns out the outside of the Soap Nuts are what does all the cleaning. Greener Living Soap Nuts removes the seeds before shipping- This means you are not paying for something you do not need, and you do not have to do it later. Soap Nuts are low sudsing making them wonderful for HE washers as well as traditional washers. Do not worry when you look in your washer and only see a few bubbles. After all it is not the bubbles that clean your clothes, it is what is in the water. Soap Nuts are amazing for anyone with sensitive skin, psoriasis or eczema. In many cases people see their skin clear up after consistent use.

What I thought:
I have been using Soap Nuts for my cloth Diapers, and I have seen an amazing improvement in the smell and absorption of my diapers! I have no odors, and they seem to soak up more than with my previous detergent. They are incredibly easy to use- I took 4-5 soap nuts (Most are pieces, so I used the equivalent of 4-5 soap nuts) and put them in one of the Muslin bags. Then at the beginning of my Wash cycle I put the bag in the drum (washing on Hot) and removed the bag before switching over to the dryer- That is it!! That's all you need to do. 4 Soap nuts lasted me 4 washes each before needing to switch over to new soap nuts. In the last 2 weeks I have only used 8 Soap nuts. I got the 500g bag (roughly 175 soap nuts), so if I do one load of diaper per day, this bag will last me 175 days- Two bags will last me almost a year!
So in short they were easy to use, made my diapers scentless, last a long time, and mean absolutely ZERO chemicals on my babies skin. How much better could it get?

I also did a sudsing Test to show you what happens when your washing machine agitates. Here are the results:

I put water in a Jar:

Added one soap nut:

Put the lid on the jar and shook it for about 10 seconds. This is the jar afterwards:

This is the jar a minute later (Notice the activity in the water. That is what is cleaning your clothes)

And this is the jar 5 minute later:

You can order from Greener Living Soap Nuts online HERE.
You can get more info on their website HERE.
You can visit their Facebook page HERE.
You can visit their Youtube videos HERE.

Up for giveaway:
A bag of Greener Living Organic Soap Nuts (500g) just like the one I received. This bag has approximately 175 soap nuts in it. At 4-5 soap nuts a bag, and four washes per bag this should last you around 175 washes!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

About It JUST Makes Sense:
It JUST Makes Sense consists of two WAHM's Heather and Melinda. They met through Facebook when they were each running their own pages- Cally's Creations, and Lexi's Style. (Now combined to Lexi Sews) which they were running and creating things with the help of their daughters. They both wanted to do craft shows, but knowing how much money and time it takes to build up enough products to do craft shows they joined forces. They decided to start making the soaps and candles so that they would have something for everyone. They are both WAHM's with It Just Makes Sense and Lexi's Style. Heather also does Pampered Chef and Respite Care for her brothers (18 and 16 both Autistic). Talk about some seriously busy Mommas!!

They started out making things on a BIG Scale for Bucklers Craft Show (A huge craft show in FL) They jumped in full force making soap and candles to stock up for shows. They have since streamlined production to make EVERYTHING uniform. They make Candles, Tarts/Melts, Soap (all goatsmilk) Regular Bars, Loofa Bars, Diva Bars(with sparkle!!), Lotions (with and withough sparkles), Body Sprays, Sugar Scrubs, Foaming Hand Soaps, Body Wash, Baby Shampoo (SLS FREE and tear free), Bath Salts and Foot Soak. The best part- All of the items the provide are ALL NATURAL (They use essential oils when available, and fragrance oils and minimal dyes when needed)

They are both cloth diapering mamas, so of course they have their own Cloth line including- Wipe Bits, Booty Spray, Foaming Booty Wash, and cloth diapers (available through Lexi's Style , and occasionally offered on it just makes sense)

Heather is in a relationship, and the provider for her family (through these fabulous businesses) She has 3 littles, ages 11 (Alexia from lexi's style), 5 and 1.5

Melinda is happily married to her husband Mike or 11 years, and also has 3 littles, ages 10 (Brooke from Cally's creations), Bradley- 7, and Bryan- 2. Melinda is unable to work outside the home due to my 7 year old having Aspergers (a form of autism)

What I thought:
I reviewed their wipe bits, and will be a continued customer now!! I will never "make my own" again!! They smell fabulous, and were super easy to use. Zoey's bottom is super soft and smells... dare I say... good? We use a spray bottle to spray our cloth wipes. The spray bottle is about 4-6oz, and I used 1/2 of a soap bit per bottle use. I go through about one bottle per week. That means that one bag of these would last me 90-100 weeks!!! These would make an awesome gift for any new mother, or anyone that cloth diapers. These are a must have for any cloth basket!! I can't wait to try out more of their products!

Up for giveaway:
It JUST Makes Sense and Lexi Sews have very generously offered an amazing prize package including-
1 Bar of Soap
1 candle or Tart
1 bag of wipe bits
1 diaper (Your choice of Boy print, Girl print, or gender neutral)
Please be sure to thank these Momma's for sponsoring all of these fabulous gifts. One Momma is going to be super lucky!!

About Diaper Mama:
Michelle is the WAHM behind Diaper Mama. She is the mother to a wonderful (and adorable!) little girl who is the light of her life. She has been blessed with a wonderful husband for 15 years, even though she says it only feels like one. Michelle started using cloth diapers when her daughter was about 5 months old. It started with Bumgenius diapers her sister gave her. She fell in love with cloth diapering, and quickly sstarted to play around with different diaper patters and techniques. She still plays around with the patterns. She knows that what works for one babe may not work for the next, so she is constantly on the search for the perfect pattern for every baby. Michelle makes a variety of products including (but not limited to, as she adds new goodies all the time) diapers, covers, wipes, and wet bags. She also makes tutus, and dresses for princesses. She has recently been offering beautifully crocheted hats. She is planning on adding lots of new products in the new year.

What I thought:
I was sent a pocket diaper to review. First of all it was ADORABLE!! The front section was pink and sparkly, and the back section was made in Disney Princess fabric. Everything down to the snaps and inside matched! The inside was also pink and super soft! Zoey has worn the diaper several times since we got it in and has not had any leaks. The diaper did not come with an insert so I have been using an insert I already had and it fit just right. There is elastic on the back, and of course the leg gussets, and she was sure to put the elastic in all the places you really need it. We got the diaper in the week that Zoey started crawling, and even considering that, have had no leaks.

The only thing I had a problem with was the snaps. I have really bad Carpal Tunnel in both wrists so it is harder for me to use some snaps. I had a hard time snapping the diaper the first few times I used it. It does seem like they are getting easier to snap, and for every other normal person it would not be a problem at all (My hubs has no problems using them at all). I just have super weak/ numb hands.

This is definitely on of Zoey's cutest diapers. I find myself putting her baby legwarmers and a t shirt on when I put this diaper on so that I can see it. (haha!) Zoey also loves the glitter in the pink fabric! My husband calls this her "Diva Diaper". He says there is no need for any accessories when she is rocking this diaper!

You can order from Diaper Mama HERE.Up for giveaway:
One Diaper Mama diaper. You pick the gender, and she will pick the print :)